PM West's boys basketball team leads solid mix of teams

As good as I felt about picking a favorite in girls basketball, this year's boys basketball race doesn't have a clear-cut best team.

As good as I felt about picking a favorite in girls basketball, this year's boys basketball race doesn't have a clear-cut best team.

Pocono Mountain West is the two-time defending Mountain Valley Conference champion and last season won the area's first District 11 Class AAAA title since 1999, but the Panthers took a heavy blow from graduation.

Pleasant Valley returns some good players on its front line, but will have to replace guards Nick Stanovick and Selwyn Wright.

Pocono Mountain East lost its top two scorers — Jok Asiyo and David Garcia — and has a new coach in former assistant Pete Dyson.

East Stroudsburg South lost four of its five leading scorers and has a new coach in Shawn Munford, who has only been with the program for about a month now.

East Stroudsburg North doesn't have a lot of experience returning, but does have some good athletes it can put on the floor.

Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg has struggled the past two seasons and saw top scorer Joe Luzzi graduate.

When it comes to Lehighton, I don't know much about the Indians. They did snap a 77-game conference losing streak last year so they have that going for them.

And then there's Stroudsburg, which did lose guards Timmy Kaiser and Langston Northern, but also return some quality players.

The Mounties, which won the first MVC title that was decided in tournament play in 2009, welcome back senior guard David Clowney and junior guard Jacob Battle, who should form the area's best backcourt. What Stroudsburg gets from its frontcourt will be the key in how far the Mounties go this season.

Speaking of frontcourts, the Bears have an imposing one led by junior center Marquis Brown. The area's most improved player last season, Brown is coming off an excellent football season and should thrive for PV. Add in Sekou Jones, perhaps the MVC's best athlete, and Pleasant Valley shouldn't have any problems on the inside.

Jon Amoroso, the heart of the team, Ty Dixon, an All-MVC and All-Area first-team selection, and Quindell Brice, last year's MVP of the MVC and Pocono Record Player of the Year, graduated at Pocono West. The Panthers do get Erick Vick, who had the best game of his career in the district final against Parkland, back. Add in junior guard Joe Wiggins, who played well in a reserve role last year, and Pocono West has itself a pair of really good guards.

Those will be the top three teams in the MVC, but I'm not sure who the fourth is yet.

Dyson and Munford have to deal with heavy graduation losses, but both are good coaches who will have their teams playing hard and sound basketball.

ES North coach Kevin Kennedy does a good job and always seems to have plenty of athletes at his disposal. If he can turn them into a good basketball team, then the Timberwolves should find themselves battling for a spot in the MVC playoffs.